Compliance 6-Pack: Part 5 - Truth in Comedy - Authenticity and Storytelling for More Credible Compliance

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of authenticity and storytelling in compliance through the lens of improv and comedy.

Tom and Ronnie continue their six-part series highlighting the role of improv in compliance. This series links improv lessons to corporate compliance and some of the key tools and strategies Ronnie has brought from his former world of improv to the corporate compliance communications realm. In today’s Improv & Compliance Lesson 5, the lesson focuses on “Truth in Comedy,” linking improv and comedy to ethics and compliance. Tom and Ronnie begin with Gilda Radner’s quote, “Humor is just truth only faster.” Feldman argues comedy works because it exposes shared truths, and compliance programs build credibility by being authentic about real issues rather than pretending everything is fine. He recommends sharing speak-up and reporting trends, anonymized investigation outcomes, culture survey results, and what happens after reports to build trust. Feldman suggests using true stories—internal case studies or news examples—told in engaging formats (newsletters, podcasts, interviews, videos, reenactments) to create teachable moments, stressing “don’t be boring.” They conclude that truthful, interesting communication and authenticity increase engagement, strengthen training, and improve…

People in this episode

Host: Tom Fox

Guest: Ronnie Feldman

Topics covered

• improv in compliance
• authenticity
• storytelling
• corporate compliance
• engagement
• psychological safety

Keywords

• compliance
• improv
• storytelling
• authenticity
• engagement
• psychological safety
• corporate communication

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Mean Tweets

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